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About the Guild

The Beadworkers Guild was formed in 1999 and is now a Registered Charity with a small board of directors and two full time staff. The Guild is a focus for everyone who enjoys beading and learning about beadwork, where the emphasis is on individual creativity, and the sharing of ideas and techniques. The main aims of the Guild are to facilitate the exchange of ideas and knowledge amongst beadworkers and to promote beadwork to the public at large.

To further these aims the Guild produces a Quarterly Journal for members, we also provide a range of Workshops across the UK annually. Biennially we organise the largest of our major events, The Great British Bead Show, the next one will be in May 2011. This is currently the largest bead event in Britain. We have a masterclass for a lucky few, a number of project-based workshops held over a long weekend with a slide show/lecture on Friday evening, AGM on Saturday evening and the finale is a large Bead Bazaar on Sunday. The Beadworkers Guild Challenge competition pieces are on display to the public on Sunday.

In the intervening years, the Guild organises a smaller Festival, with a Bead Bazaar on the Sunday, but each time in a different region. The last Regional Day was held in 2010 at the Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld Glagsow.  The next will be in 2012, venue to be announced.

The Guild has also published a series of Introduction to Beading Books, and is producing a series of Stitch Workbooks available to our members to help further beading skills.

Why become a member?

As a member of the Beadworkers Guild you will receive:

  • A copy of the Journal four times a year, containing articles, projects, book reviews and details of forthcoming exhibitions and shows, events and suppliers.
  • Access to the Members Area of the website which we are developing into a resource for events, information about bead groups, links to websites which may be of interest and access to the Stitch Workbooks being developed to further your beading skills.
  • A 10% discount when you purchase one of our books from the Beadworkers Guild.
  • A discount when you take part in a workshop organised by the Beadworkers Guild.
  • Free entry to the Bead Bazaar organised as part of our event in May.

Members are also eligible to submit work on a theme for general display on the Guild exhibition stand at the events we attend throughout the year, and to the Beadworkers Guild Challenge, a themed competition judged at the Guild event in May each year.

Membership costs:

United Kingdom | April 2010-March 2011 | £23.00

Europe | April 2010-March 2011 | £28.00

Overseas | April 2010-March 2011 | £33.00

Interested? You can join online or print a form for posting here.

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Registered Charity No. 1119734

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